Torn

We live in a fallen world. So many things are backwards these days. My wife, Kattie, was channel surfing the other day and came across a weird combination of TV shows -- imagine that! On one channel she saw two women gearing up to go fishing as professional fisherwomen. On the next channel, she saw two men dicing vegetables on their own cooking show. Odd, right? Well, that seems to be quite acceptable, and actually an increasing norm in these days of precautionary political correctness.

It seems that more and more these days, roles are reversed and we wonder why things keep spiraling downward into the erosion of our culture. In contrast to my opinion, some would say that our culture is not eroding, but rather, advancing as people are becoming more and more liberated in their own lifestyles, regardless of the roles that men and women have been designed to carry out since the beginning of time. "We are becoming more sophisticated as a people," they say. We have all of our medical and technological advances, our progressive thinking and philosophy, yet freedom of expression and speech is reserved only for those who are liberating themselves from the captivity of human design. The standard that we once had is now the opposition to the standard we now have.

The influence of the world and the selfishness within it has corrupted our minds and hearts. It has permeated us; thus, we are broken.

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
1 John 2:15-17

As people live among each other, there are so many lifestyles, so many choices made, and so many different perspectives of the way things ought to be. Of course, I have my viewpoint. The guy next to me may not share it. Now, I believe that my ethical and moral viewpoints are correct since they align with the Bible, but for me to outrightly impose these views upon the guy next to me in a judgmental, harsh way is to tell him that I don't really love him at all.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.... And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother."
1 John 4:7-12, 21

Someone very close to Kattie and I, a true friend, lives a lifestyle that is contrary to the teachings of the Bible, and therefore creates a feeling within us that is inescapable: we are torn. We want to love this dear friend, and hopefully we are, but our hearts break to love someone whose lifestyle is something that will never fully satisfy, no matter how much they hope it will. Their rationale for living this lifestyle is that it "makes me happy." If this is true, then our definition of happiness is far from the actual reality of it. And what's more important anyway: to be happy or to be holy?

The Way of Wisdom

"Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly

The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive and knows nothing.
She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
But he does not know that the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol."
Proverbs 9

Oh, how easy it is to be enticed by the way of fools! It seems like the world is inundated with so many outlets for foolishness, that the way of wisdom is almost totally covered by the overgrowth of the loudness of Folly. There is homosexuality, abortion, corruption, greed, lust, and the like... But whoever talks about honor, integrity, loyalty, conviction, and conscience any more? It is easy to submit to the weakness of folly, insisting on being simple and lacking sense. It is far more difficult to live in wisdom, with much insight.

But here's the tension: is it folly for a wise person to concede to the foolishness of the fool? In other words, is it okay to say nothing to our friend who is living a lifestyle of folly? Or, is it wisdom to try to convince this friend that these ways are wrong and will deserve a severe punishment if not corrected? Should we impose our convictions on our friend because "it's for your own good"? Where's the balance between standing for what's right and good and loving those who scoff at it? That's a hard question -- perhaps a mystery whose answer only God knows.

Here's what we do... We love them. And it utterly breaks our hearts that the decisions being made are foolish ones influenced by the "desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of possessions" are the fleeting and unfulfilling pleasures of this world. These things are unsatisfying and unsatisfactory. And God is not pleased. Yet He still loves, and is full of mercy. May that very mercy be poured out, so that Wisdom may one day be the way that is followed by the friends we so dearly love. We don't force the absolute standard of the Bible upon them, so as to fuel their scoffing and repulse them from the Truth. Instead, we reply to their questions with the gentleness and respect of that very Truth only when first approached by them. And we love them, praying for them with great hope.